A recent participant on a our Behind the Scenes Big Cat Interactive loved the tour so much she wanted to share the word with everyone! Thanks Vicky and hope you enjoy her story...

I have a confession to make... I love tigers. In fact I'm bordering on tiger obsessive. While I love all cats large and small, there is something special about tigers. Whether it's the knowledge that they are arguably the world's most successful predator, the semi-seductive roll of their shoulders as they walk, the grace and power they exude with each movement or simply their majestic beauty that draws me to them I do not know.

I'd spent the best part of 43 years dreaming of being able to come face to face with a tiger and pat it down the length of its nose. Why? Just because I felt compelled too; of course that was never going to happen. And if it did, I wouldn't live to tell the tale anyway.

Adelaide United FC have joined the cause to raise money for the endangered Giant Panda. In a special initiative, the Reds will help raise awareness of Zoos SA and our Giant Pandas at this Friday night's home game against the Newcastle Jets. Players will display the 'Panda' logo on the front of the shorts for the clash at Hindmarsh Stadium, and the club will auction the panda shorts after the clash, with all funds raised to be donated to Zoos SA.

How well can you identity our feathered friends at Warrawong Wildlife Sanctuary?

Check out some recent photos of our baby Barbary Sheep, White-cheeked Gibbon and Mandrill :-)

Check out the new Barbary Sheep arrivals at Adelaide Zoo this October.

Our Giant Panda introductions continue to progress well. Here are some photos from Day Two, which shows our Wang Wang and Funi getting along very well. There hasn't been a mating yet but signs are looking great :-)

I wonder what Funi is saying to Wang Wang?

It’s Panda Day at Adelaide Zoo today, with Wang Wang and Funi introduced for breeding purposes. The introductions are taking place in the off-limits area where the Giant Pandas can be closely monitored. The panda exhibit will remain closed during this time as it is important there is minimal disturbance to the pair.

Did you know Tasmanian Devils patrol an area in a large figure of eight pattern in the wild? And so, with a little poetic license, the legend of the Looney Tunes cartoon character, Taz, spinning around from place to place, was born.

Check out our little foal who was born at Monarto Zoo last week :)

As you may have seen recently, the Bill to make labeling for palm oil a mandatory requirement on food, cosmetics and palm oil was passed in the House of Senate on Thursday 23rd June 2011.

Now it has one more step to go on Monday 4th July, when it goes through the House of Representatives. If it successfully goes through there then it will become law.

The Royal Zoological Society of South Australia is a not for profit, non-Government organisation. Significant capital investment was required for the development of the new front entrance precinct, the perimeter fence – required in order to meet National Zoo Standards – and the Giant Panda exhibit. The organisation attracted an enormous amount of community and business support, and valuable partnerships but far less national sponsorship than expected, largely due to the onset of the Global Financial Crisis at a critical point in the project.

Life is a routine. Or is it?

Every day, we deal with routines in our world. Eat, drink, and sleep. Get up, deal with our family, feed the budgie, get to work, go to school, and walk the dog, plus whatever others you may care to add. Predictable routines, though, are a relatively recent thing in the evolution of us Humanimals.

Our Dusky Langur baby is growing up quickly, meaning she has lost the brilliant colouring she was born with, but continues to be a cheeky and confident little monkey.

A keen explorer, she has been spending more time way from her Mum, Flier, who seems happy for her baby to become more independent. On exhibit in the large Moreton Bay Fig in the middle of Adelaide Zoo, be sure to come visit our precocious baby langur soon!

More exciting baby news at Monarto Zoo... one of our female lions, Kiamba, gave birth to a cub on Tuesday, 3 May. Mum and baby are doing well, they will be off-exhibit for awhile but stay tuned for regular updates and photos (these two photos were taken when the cub was only one day old!)

Our female rhino, Umqali, gave birth to a male calf, which we found looking adorable and strong on the morning of ANZAC day.

All is going well so far and we hope to have him and mum on exhibit shortly. Stay tuned!

Beth
Curator of Living Collections, Monarto Zoo

MEDIA RELEASE

Adelaide Zoo senior keepers left for China on April 4 to learn more about the Panda mating process, as the only Giant Pandas in the Southern Hemisphere, Wang Wang and Funi, near their first potential breeding season.

Senior Panda Keeper Simone Davey, and Assistant Curator Jason Hakof, will spend two weeks at the Bifengxia Panda Base near Ya'an, learning ways to maximise the chances of successful panda matings.

I have noticed recently in the eastern suburbs that the annual hard rubbish collection is in full swing. All that interesting stuff neatly stacked by the suburban roadsides waiting for re-use, people trawling the streets for useful items that are no longer required by others.

Re-use is the most desirable fate for discarded items with recycling coming in second.

On February 26 the Zoo held a special “Enrichment Day” which was a chance for us to showcase some of the behavioural and environmental enrichment that we provide for our animals on an everyday basis.

One of the many highlights of Enrichment Day was seeing Tuan, our 12 year old male Sumatran Tiger, getting his paws (and all the rest!) wet while he stalked a large blood ice-block (or “bloodsicle”) which we floated in the lagoon at the front of his exhibit.